Is There Disparity in Theater?

Click bait! I'm not a theater person. This isn't about the ins and outs of theater, but you may read on.

Since falling in love with Joanna Ampil after Ang Larawan, I followed her in all her social media accounts. And, I mostly get updates from her Instagram.

photo from www.joannaampil.com

One time, I scrolled through her old posts and got even more amazed with her craft. She has worked with people of different races and ages. She has also traveled to places across the globe while doing the thing she loves. She has done a lot of musicals, concerts, and performances internationally.

I stopped and thought, why can't I do that? Had somebody introduced me to theater I would be doing that my whole life. And had somebody told me about Joanna, I'd be a die-hard fan.

photo from www.joannaampil.com

I honestly love to perform. I'm not and won't be as superb as Joanna but hey I can practice! However, the only chance for me to conquer a stage is in a Barangay Fiesta. Because whether I like it or not, in my country, theater is for the elite, the affluent, and the privileged.

It's the kind of art that only these people can appreciate. I didn't even know what Miss Saigon was. I just connect it to Lea Salonga.

So it frustrates me to witness disparity in art. Or maybe it isn't art itself but access to art. Does art even have social hierarchy? I don't know. I'm just wonderin'.

It's five past one in Tokyo. I'm just wonderin'.
Oyasumi Nasai. 😪

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